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He didn’t meet her eyes, and from the way he scowled, she wondered if he was still mad at her. Never mind. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge against a preteen. While he perused the options, she washed her hands. She was alone in the store because Megan had headed away early to spend the weekend with her family in Auckland.
“Russian fudge, please,” Dylan said.
“No problem. Coming right up.” She scooped the caramel-colored ice cream into a cone. “With chocolate dip?”
“Yes, please.”
She dunked the ice cream into her vat of chocolate and made sure it had dried before popping it into the stand atop the display case. “Here you go.”
He took it and glanced over his shoulder, as though debating whether to go back outside.
“Must be hard having a famous mum,” she said as she started wiping down the counters, not wanting to put him on guard.
“It’s cool,” he replied in a tone that said otherwise. “No one else at school has a mum who’s been in the movies.”
“I bet. She’s pretty unique.” Faith didn’t mean that in a good way.
Dylan eyeballed her, clearly trying to tell if she was being sarcastic. “She calls me sometimes when she’s not at filming. Dad knows, but we don’t talk about it.”
“Uh-huh.” If he was about to get something off his chest, she didn’t want to say anything to stop him.
“He just doesn’t understand. But—"
The door swung open, interrupting whatever he’d been about to say. Diana stood in the entrance, glaring at Faith in a way that brought back memories of Mason’s ex-girlfriend, Gigi, and the other mean girls from high school.
“What do you think you’re doing with my son?”
“Serving him ice cream.” She refused to be cowed. “He was going out of his mind with boredom waiting for you to finish with your adoring fans.”
Diana sniffed. “Dealing with fans is just part of being related to a celebrity. Come, Dylan. We’ve got better places to be.”
Shaking her head, Faith watched them go. What Shane had seen in that woman—besides the obvious—she didn’t know.
“Thanks for the ice cream,” Dylan called as they exited, earning him an evil eye from his mother.
Faith chuckled. Some parental instincts appeared to be universal.
At five past eight,Diana dropped Dylan at home. Shane knew she’d timed it purposefully to rile him. She wanted to send a message that he wasn’t in control of the situation, but she also wouldn’t push things far enough that he could accuse her of ignoring him. This was a familiar tactic. One he’d largely forgotten until now and didn’t miss in the slightest.
“Thanks for bringing him back,” he said begrudgingly.
“No problem.” She cocked her head and studied him thoughtfully. “After we ran into your girlfriend, we bought dinner and ate it at the beach. This town really needs to invest in a greater diversity of dining options.”
Shane didn’t disagree, but he wasn’t about to admit that. “You saw Faith?”
She rolled her eyes. “Like you didn’t already know that.”
“I didn’t.”
“Huh. I thought she’d have run to you the moment we left. Isn’t she keeping tabs on us for you?”
“No, why? Wait.” He held up a hand to stop her. “Dylan, why don’t you make a start on your homework?”
“Okay.” He seemed relieved to have the opportunity to escape. Backpack hanging from one hand, he headed to his room.
“What happened with Faith?” he asked once Dylan was out of hearing range.
“Oh, nothing much.” The cameras loved that catlike smile of hers, but he hated it. “While I was talking with some fans, she lured Dylan into her quaint little shop for ice cream. I figured you’d asked her to spy on us, but the ice cream surprised me. Have you given up your health food obsession?”
